I put everyone whose action isn't 'go to the conference room' or who otherwise needs a specific response, up top.
Find the briefing underneath the mass of 'go to the conference room' quotes. For future reference, I probably won't quuote everyone who has a standard action like this - it cfan be assumed that if your action is to do the default thing, that thing gets done.
Also, now is a good time for everyone to
edit out the default text in their character sheets. I no longer need a dozen sheets telling me that you have 4 stats to spend as you see fit.
Name: Lenora
Animal Species: Intelligent Cardinal ((Cardinalis cardinalis)
size: Slightly smaller than average cardinal size
Job / Class: Scientist
Special Trait: Double Team. Lenora can move so fast, her image stays in different places resulting in illusory copies. It's the Pokemon move.
Stats (4 points to spend as you see fit. Stats start at 0. 0 is 'average, or maybe a little less')
Mind:2
Strength:
Dexterity:2
Equipment: 100 monies
"There is turkey here, I will go get food from a shop. I am a biologist."
Go out to a shop and find and buy food for less than 59 monies, see if there are any tools a biologist might need, and remember them so I can go back later when I have more monies. Head to the conference room with the food and bring it to the cat.
You spend one monies on a big bag of "Healthy Choice" dried cat food and one can of "Fancy Choice" canned cat food from the Herbi/Carnivore Store dopwn the street. You also buy some liver for another money, since you're a biologist and you think cats might like liver. It's ... passably fresh. You head back and flit into the conference room, perching on an unoccupied windowsill.
In an attempt to simplify matters, the "cat" shrugs, looks at the more qualified candidates, and leaves.
"Thought it would be a good idea to get a job in this wasteland - have a purpose." he says over his shoulder as he walks out.
Name: Kitsugare "Kit""
Animal Species: Snow Fox
Size: A bit small.
Job/Class: Spellcaster
Trait: Natural Spellcasting (Kit already has the basics of spellcasting down, and knows Mage Hand as a cantrip. This cantrip summons an ghostly hand that can interact with the world on behalf of its summoner. Who knows what else Kitsugare'll learn...)
Stats:
Mind: 3
Strength: 0
Dexterity: 1
Equipment:
Spell Book - A faded, pastel pink book, with a broken clasp where a lock would go. Normally tied shut with a long blue ribbon. Has straps so he can Mage Hand it to be carried on his back. Written in a code only he knows, or so he claims. "I can't tell you how aggravating it is to rely on paper to remember my spells. But at least I crammed Mage Hand into my skull..."
Focus - A really nice vape pen, long emptied of juice. "If you hold it in your mouth long enough, you can start to taste the knowledge of the old days... It's kinda fruity and sweet."
Melee Weapon - Mildly enchanted Bowie Knife with a faintly glowing 7 on the handle. "That's the number of people who've tried to touch my book... and failed. Care to make it 8?"
30 Monies
The fox snickers. Anyone with half a brain could see that wasn't an actual Anthro. Had to give him credit for the effort, though. He notes the large flux of people heading to the conference room and follows.
"Basic kill counter, someone else's design. I was going through a *bit* of an edgy phase when I shelled out the money for it." He then decides to shunt himself into the conversation around him. "I'm from the wastes more up north, and though I had to knife a few people who got too damn close to my book-" his temper's rising, he seems to have a heavy emotional attachment to his spell book... and some anger issues. "I've been able to scatter any other conflicts with a well aimed Magic Missile or something basic like that. They really don't expect much of someone small and fluffy like me, y'know?"
((I figured that 10 moneys was enough for a kill counter on a knife - I actually accounted for that in setup. Book:30, Focus: 20, Knife:10, Simple Enchant:10, Total:70, Remainder:30. Also added a bit more flavor to my items, at least the Spellbook.))
So the enchantment is the kill counter? Okay, that's fine. Costs are fine as well.
Name: Emmet Dok
Animal Species: Anthropmorphic Tiktaalik roseae
size: Bit large on average. Like maybe child-sized standing up.
Job / Class: Author avatar Unlicensed physician
Stats:
Mind:
Strength:
Dexterity: 4
Equipment:
-10 Standard melee weapon (Surgeon's Scalpel)
-10 Standard melee weapon (Surgeon's Snips)
-10 Standard melee weapon (Surgeon's Cleaver)
? Presentable Suit (erroneously fit for a baby crocodile)
? Lab coat, white, once.
-50 GAiuS, autonomous surgical assistant
Is this fella amphibious, aquatic, or terrestrial? If aquatic (as per the base animal), talk to Egan a bit aboput how he is handling living on land. You'll need a simiolar system. Since you have him listed as anthropomorphic, however, I will allow the other two options as well.
"Yes. It's me."
Crawl over to the briefing room.
Name: June
Animal Species: Intelligent Octopus
Size: Large dog
Job / Class: Wannabe mech pilot
Special Trait: Tech Wiz (June is naturally proficient with technology and can almost always use even tech she's never encountered before.)
Stats
Mind: 2
Strength: 0
Dexterity: 2
Equipment
Armored Quadrupedal Lifter (A heavy lifter the size of a forklift with four mechanical legs and arms for lifting cargo. Modified with forwards-facing steel plates to protect the driver. June nicked it from her old job as a Warehouse worker.)
Toolkit (A box containing several useful things, both for regular maintenance and assorted mischief.)
Breathing Mask (A rubber and plastic "mask" encompassing the funnel and breathing aperture, linked by a pair of tubes to a water tank strapped under the mantle. The water tank also includes a small machine that aerates the water and a removable filter for waste.)
”Alright. If I’m gonna be putting my fur on the line for you bunch, I’m gonna want to know if you’ll be worth your salt. I did my time in the Arc’. Fought with a lot of good soldiers, lost a few too. When you spend six months in the dark, burried in snow and ice, with nobody but other killers to keep you company, you learn how to tell a good soldier from a bad one. What kind of experience are you bringing to the table?”
Head to the conference room.
Mr. Itch stands perfectly still for several seconds, except for his antennae which whip slowly back and forth independently of each other. Then he turns and walks out of the room with surprisingly swift and silent steps. Several moments later he appears in the briefing room with a paper cone filled with a mixture of about 60% sugar and 40% water. He sits down and then proceeds to very carefully and delicately sip at the sugar slurry while staring unblinkingly off into space.
Gershom glances at the exit as well, and hops onto his orangutan's shoulder.
"Well, my friend, you heard the feline. To the conference room!"
”Alright. If I’m gonna be putting my fur on the line for you bunch, I’m gonna want to know if you’ll be worth your salt. I did my time in the Arc’. Fought with a lot of good soldiers, lost a few too. When you spend six months in the dark, burried in snow and ice, with nobody but other killers to keep you company, you learn how to tell a good soldier from a bad one. What kind of experience are you bringing to the table?”
Gershom fluffs his feathers and looks the badger over before speaking.
"Trying to put us on the defensive, are you, badger? Smart. Almost makes me forget you were the last of us to arrive." He shakes his head, giving her a few tsks.
"But that is of no essence. Gershom Sauermann, hypnotist and mindbender, at your service. Ever wished you could go past your limits? React faster than the other guy, forget pain and exhaustion, think straight in a fight? With my help, you'll have that - and more."
Gershom taps the orangutan's ear with the end of his wing. "Bob here already does."
Bob shifts his head a little and stares at Rosy with dispassionate, glazed-over eyes.
Name: Gershom Sauermann
Animal Species: Intelligent Raven
Size: 24 inches from bill to tail
Job / Class: Hypnotherapy Postgraduate / Mental Wizard
Special Trait: Voice of Sauermann - if I pick my words carefully and control my tone of voice, I can speak in such a way that anyone hearing me will feel a strong, deep desire to agree without thinking.
Stats
Mind: 4
Strength: 0
Dexterity: 0
Equipment
Magic Focus (Mental Magic): a walnut-sized crystal ball fitted to a collar, which shows anything I want it to show and magically attracts the attention of anyone who sees it.
Spellbook (Mental Magic): an enormous, horribly dry monography on all the spells that were ever known to influence minds. It's a great aid in hypnosis, since it drives lesser minds into stupor within minutes of trying to read it.
Robert Smith: a heavy-set orangutan with a football player's build and some neatly trimmed, polished nails. He is enthralled by equal amounts of magic and reason, and believes that I always have the best idea on what to do.
"Hi I'm Blarg and I'm not in the army, but I have killed people for money kind of like a hitman or something, so you can count on me being able to kill whoever it is we need dead."
(I Fixed the things you mentioned.)
Name: Blarg
Animal Species: Anthropomorphic Zebra
size: Slightly taller than the average human.
Job / Class: Pistolero
Stats
Mind: 1
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 1
Equipment:
Standard firearm: A Mauser C96, an old as dirt ten round semi-auto hand gun, it appears to have been gold plated.
Standard melee weapon: An old dingy golf club with a reinforced handle, from the looks of it its a nine iron.
standard armor set: A black business suit with a Kevlar vest underneath it, and a M1 Helmet.
20 monies
Name: Gala
Animal Species: Intelligent Galapagos Turtle
size: Big
Job / Class: Tank/Meatshield
Special Trait: Taunt: Force enemies to only attack Gala next turn
Stats (4 points to spend as you see fit. Stats start at 0. 0 is 'average, or maybe a little less')
Mind:1
Strength: 3
Dexterity:
Equipment: standard armor set (40 monies), autonomous helper bot (50 monies), 10 spare monies
go to the conference room
Name: Kongor X (Couldn't think of a better name, mostly)
Species: Intelligent Gorilla
Job: Trained warrior
Trait: Very LIMITED magic ability (When in a fight, he can turn his anger into a blast of fire, ice, or electricity that generates from his fists or whatever weapon he's using to use on his foes. The effects happen randomly i.e. he might want to freeze something but instead it might explode)
Stats
Mind: 1
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 1
Equipment:
Standard melee weapon: a dual ended mace
Standard armor set: The kind of metal plating that would fit a gorilla
50 leftover monies
”Pick you up? Alright but only because you requested it.”
Pick up the cat and head in the direction of the conference room
Briefing, being held in the Conference RoomThe conference room is a wide, white walled room with a rather low ceiling supported by two lines of concrete pillars. There are several round tables scattered about, each with a few folding chairs arranged around them, along with several handouts scattered in the center, and a small pile of old Bic ballpoint pens - some with their caps, some without, several look rather chewed upon. The cat speaks up from the crook of the gorilla's arm:
"There are a lot of you today. Must have been another factory closing I didn't hear about. We always get a lot of sad sacks when that happens. Most wash out pretty quickly. The cat jumps down out of hte gorilla's arm and walks under a table, tail erect, still talking.
"Fortunately for you, we have a quite convenient way to filter out the mouse droppings from the tuna and turkey right away. We just got a request in this morning for some" The cat jumps onto a chair, then stops, forefeet together, and retches for a moment, ears back. There is an uncomfortable pause, and hte cat opens his mouth rathr wide and retches again. Nothing comes out.
"False alarm. Anyway, we have a client who is in need of some simple assistance. See in the Fishery Quarter, two of the local gangs have been having a turf war. Probably a result of swelling numbers due to one of those factory closings I mentioned. Any of you affiliated with the Macks or the Crabs? Well, the Macks contracted us to cause a little trouble for the Crabs, who have been ... how did they put it? 'Shoving beaks and bills into our dens, trying to spray their scent over our markings.' So, they want us to make a little noise for them."Here, the cat jumps after a mote of dust, lands on all four feet simultaneously, licks his shoulder, then runs out of the room in a dash.
A few moments later, the cat strolls back in and continues as if he had never stopped.
"So, you are to go to the neighborhood between Hickory street and Elm, and below Old Trail and above Winding Way, and cause a ruckus. Spray a few gang signs, vandalize some vehicles, break some playground equipment. Beat up any Crabs you see ... no they aren't all crustaceans. They do wear red scarves tied around one limb, though, so you should recognize them easily enough. Try to get killed, captured, or arrested. If the cops come, scramble. DO NOT lead the cops back here. I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!
Questions?" The cat asks, pawing at the bag in Lenora's ... I don't know, how did she carry it anyway, her beak?